Male Bonding
by Melon Fuhrer
Summary: What can I say? If you threw Zuko and Roy Mustang in a room together, this is probably what would happen. I guess I should put a crack warning on it? Oneshot.


**DISCLAIMER: **Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa and Bryke

**A/N:** I really have no excuse for this... I wrote it about six months ago and found it while digging through some old writes on tumblr. I just needed this crossover to happen. Make of it what you will, I guess. Implied Royai and Zuki ahead.

**EDIT:** Also, I realize I forgot to explain. Amestris is based on early twentieth-century Europe, where the drinking age is lower than present-day America (hell, go back thirty years and even here the drinking age was only eighteen). Therefore it is perfctly acceptable for Zuko to go get drunk with adult supervision.

* * *

"So you mean to tell me that you don't even need a transmutation circle?"

Roy Mustang looked at the scarred boy with an odd mixture of doubt, awe and anger. This teenaged hothead claimed he could create fire - use Flame Alchemy - using nothing. He'd even gone so far as to show the general, proving he had the capability, and he insisted it came from his body.

"A… what?" the boy asked, confused.

Roy facepalmed. How could the kid be so talented at alchemy - a prodigy, really, if he was being honest - and have no formal training? And actually, forget training; as far as he knew, everyone in the goddamn world was familiar with basic concepts of alchemy, such as the term 'transmutation circle.'

Unless… did he come from a place where it was called something else… somewhere like-

"Are you from Xing?" He asked. maybe that would explain it - why his alchemy was so much different and why he was so advanced. Because he was using Alkahestry.

The boy's one eyebrow furrowed to meet the spot on his forehead where the other should have been. "I really don't know what you're talking about," he replied, an irritated tone seeping through his words. "I'm from the Fire Nation. I'm its king, actually."

Fire Nation? What was he talking about? A whole country that worshipped Fire? No… not worshipped. Mustang got the feeling that the people of his country believed themselves to be fire, that they were one with it. His interest piqued.

"A king, huh? That's laughable."

The boy's face flushed red with anger. "I am Firelord Zuko, crowned ruler of the great Fire Nation," he informed the man, indignant.

Roy smirked. "Sure you are. I don't see a crown on your head."

Zuko pointed to the adornment in his topknot. "This has been in my family for generations! It's the symbol of our nation and the official crown of the Firelord and -"

The general cut him off, laughing as he was reminded of a certain well-muscled Major. "Calm down, kid. Why don't we go get a drink?"

Zuko's face blanked. "Um - what?"

"I want to hear more about this fire country of yours. Humor me."

* * *

An hour later, Zuko and Roy were sitting at a bar somewhere in Central, half-drunk, talking about anything and everything like they'd known each other since birth. Zuko had lamented about all the ways he'd hurt everyone and their mother during the war; Roy had ladenly assured him there were worse crimes to commit. Zuko had done his best to explain his alchemy to Roy (apparently it was called "bending" where Zuko came from), and Roy in return summed up alchemy every way he knew how (not Flame Alchemy - he would never betray Riza like that to some kid he'd known for a few hours - but just basic alchemy itslef). They'd discussed their mutual goals of bettering their respective countries.

And at the moment, they were discussing women.

"There's gotta be someone you've got your eye on," Roy slurred, giving him a friendly shove.

The good side of Zuko's face was the same shade of red as his scar. "Well… there is this one girl… but there's a few problems."

Roy took another swig of beer. "Aw, come on, you're a king, aren't you? Hell, I'm only a general and I've got ladies falling all over me!" he grinned.

Zuko rolled his eyes, then looked suddenly downcast. "Well… first of all, I burned down her village a few years back."

Roy stared at him for a long moment, then burst into laughter, thinking the boy was cracking a joke.

Instead of becoming embarrased, Zuko looked genuinely perturbed. "I'm not kidding! I burned her village!"

Mustang's face fell, and he looked thoughtful. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"No," Zuko answered emphatically. He had made sure of that. Even while he was 'evil,' he had never enjoyed the idea of actually causing people physical harm. He suppossed that trait had come from his mother.

"Have you done anything to fix it?" Mustang continued.

"Yes. I've paid Kyoshi as much as my funds would allow to help rebuild what I destroyed, and I've personally overseen its reconstruction."

Roy nodded. "And has this girl forgiven you for it?"

Zuko looked away. "Well… I mean, I think so, but -"

"Then don't dwell on it. Life is too short for that." He paused. "What else is stopping you?"

The boy sighed. "She's my best friend's ex-girlfriend…"

Roy's eyes widened; unbidden, Havoc's face rose in his mind, and he was hit with a wave of guilt. He'd stolen more than one of his girlfriends, even while he was still dating them… and not one of them had meant anything to him.

And here was this boy (closer to a man, really), feeling guilty at the thought of just having feelings for a girl his best friend had already parted with.

Damn.

Roy put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Listen, kid, if it's meant to be with you and this girl, go for it. Don't give her up for anything. You never know when you might lose her," he told him, his words unconsciously stemming from his own feelings for a woman he wasn't suppossed to associate this kind of discussion with. The one woman he almost had lost, more than once; the one woman who meant more than anything to him.

Zuko saw the pain in Roy's eyes as he said this, and heard the sort of desperate regret in his words. "I just… she's such an amazing girl. Brave and strong and fearless… and yet she's really nice and caring when you get to know her…" he shook his head. "I just want her to be proud of me, really…" Zuko trailed off. Plainly written on his face was everything he feared he wasn't, every way in which he wanted to better himself to lead his country and atone for his mistakes.

Roy felt like he was talking to a mirror.

"She will be. You take pride in what you do. You have a vision for your country and you are doing your best to be on the right path."

Mustang wondered at this new side of him he'd been seeing recently, first around the Elric brothers, and now with Zuko. Here he was, talking to this boy like he was his son, encouraging him in a very paternal way to go after a girl and make good decisions. When had he become so fatherly?

Roy shook his head. Damned emotions.

"Ah, to hell with this. I want to see some more of that bending," he said, half out of an attempt to shake off the touchy-feely moment and half out of a genuine interest to learn that he hadn't felt since studying under Master Hawkeye. "Let's get out of here."

Zuko beamed; nobody had ever wanted to see him bend. Not even his uncle had ever been particularly impressed with his Firebending. "Fine," he replied, trying to downplay his pride. "But you better show me some alchemy; I want to know more."

Roy smirked. "Equivalent exchange. You're learning already."

* * *

**A/N:** How bad/strange was it? Be honest...


End file.
